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tyrshand's review
5.0
I really enjoyed the first novella. The second one was alright, though I worried that perhaps the series wasn't going to have that "magic" (haha) of the first book. This one sets those fears at ease. This may actually be my favorite of the lot. Perhaps it's because of the subject matter -- very timely in this current climate of more acceptable racism. I even had an incident with such yesterday, so this tale definitely fit the mood I was in.
However, this doesn't feel like an "issue book." There's something so smooth about the writing this time around. And though racism can't be magically fixed -- even in Lychford -- several iterations of it are naturally explored. And, as in real life, forgiveness and understanding can be found for the people who are predisposed to such. The rest can sod off. ;)
The character development for Judith and Autumn was excellent and appreciated. Lizzie is fine, but though she is certainly active in the story, character-wise she takes back stage. There's also a decent bit of action and tension and some fascinating world building.
However, this doesn't feel like an "issue book." There's something so smooth about the writing this time around. And though racism can't be magically fixed -- even in Lychford -- several iterations of it are naturally explored. And, as in real life, forgiveness and understanding can be found for the people who are predisposed to such. The rest can sod off. ;)
The character development for Judith and Autumn was excellent and appreciated. Lizzie is fine, but though she is certainly active in the story, character-wise she takes back stage. There's also a decent bit of action and tension and some fascinating world building.
krickster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eol's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
samwescott's review against another edition
5.0
This book pulled no punches, my goodness. There's definitely a marked shift in tone from our last little Christmas adventure and I think it was remarkable.
This book takes our witchy friends in their cozy town and brings them up to speed with life in England post-Brexit. Not living anywhere near Europe and being white, I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of being the only non-white girl in a small town post-Brexit, but it really seems like the author handled the characterization with thoughtfulness and extreme care. There is a sincerity and a deep anguish to Autumn's character in this book that I think really blew the first two books out of the water.
It's still a magic mystery, but this one really runs on themes of loneliness and being an outsider and takes itself more seriously. I thought it was incredible. It was still charming as all hell and I got the same warm fuzzies that I've gotten from the rest of the series, but this one was rooted in something more real and I was really impressed with how the author got that across.
This book takes our witchy friends in their cozy town and brings them up to speed with life in England post-Brexit. Not living anywhere near Europe and being white, I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of being the only non-white girl in a small town post-Brexit, but it really seems like the author handled the characterization with thoughtfulness and extreme care. There is a sincerity and a deep anguish to Autumn's character in this book that I think really blew the first two books out of the water.
It's still a magic mystery, but this one really runs on themes of loneliness and being an outsider and takes itself more seriously. I thought it was incredible. It was still charming as all hell and I got the same warm fuzzies that I've gotten from the rest of the series, but this one was rooted in something more real and I was really impressed with how the author got that across.
jenpsz's review against another edition
5.0
Well that’s a way to make you read the next book. #cliffhanger!!
a_h_haga's review against another edition
2.0
REREAD 2020
Rereading to have a clearer picture of everything happening before listening to the last book in the series.
Like with the two others, I don't have anything new to say that I didn't already say in the original review.
Keeping the rating.
-----------------------------------------------
So this book is by far the weakest in the series so far. It wasn't bad, but it was weak. The irony is that I don't think the story in itself was all that weak. I found it interesting, with the pocket worlds and how the author incorporated Brexit. It was interesting seeing it mentioned in a book like this, and how it affect the lives of people in Britain, and how little some of them thought about things when voting this way or that.
What I think the problem was for me, was the narrator.
This series has changed narrator with each book, and that makes it hard to connect to the series. New narrators have different voices and different ways of portraying the characters, and so I never felt like the characters were set. On top of that, the narrator for this book was bad. She used pretty much the same voice for every character, male or female, and so it was hard to know who was saying what when. It made it easy to zone out.
I have already bought and started listening to the next book in the series - [b:The Lights Go Out in Lychford|44581554|The Lights Go Out in Lychford (Lychford, #4)|Paul Cornell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555042190l/44581554._SX50_.jpg|69197749] - as it uses one of the two first narrators that I remember liking, and because it seems a lot of things will be happening. Until the ending of this book, I wasn't actually sure if there was a red-thread running through all the books, or if each was just a random story with these women at the senter. Now, it is clear the series is going somewhere, and so I want to give it another chance.
Just hope the author publish the books a little faster in the future. I mean, they're pretty short, one would think he would be able to publish more than once every second year
Original rating: 2/5 stars
Rereading to have a clearer picture of everything happening before listening to the last book in the series.
Like with the two others, I don't have anything new to say that I didn't already say in the original review.
Keeping the rating.
-----------------------------------------------
So this book is by far the weakest in the series so far. It wasn't bad, but it was weak. The irony is that I don't think the story in itself was all that weak. I found it interesting, with the pocket worlds and how the author incorporated Brexit. It was interesting seeing it mentioned in a book like this, and how it affect the lives of people in Britain, and how little some of them thought about things when voting this way or that.
What I think the problem was for me, was the narrator.
This series has changed narrator with each book, and that makes it hard to connect to the series. New narrators have different voices and different ways of portraying the characters, and so I never felt like the characters were set. On top of that, the narrator for this book was bad. She used pretty much the same voice for every character, male or female, and so it was hard to know who was saying what when. It made it easy to zone out.
I have already bought and started listening to the next book in the series - [b:The Lights Go Out in Lychford|44581554|The Lights Go Out in Lychford (Lychford, #4)|Paul Cornell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555042190l/44581554._SX50_.jpg|69197749] - as it uses one of the two first narrators that I remember liking, and because it seems a lot of things will be happening. Until the ending of this book, I wasn't actually sure if there was a red-thread running through all the books, or if each was just a random story with these women at the senter. Now, it is clear the series is going somewhere, and so I want to give it another chance.
Just hope the author publish the books a little faster in the future. I mean, they're pretty short, one would think he would be able to publish more than once every second year
Original rating: 2/5 stars
blackmetalblackheart's review against another edition
4.0
This series has been great. With each new book released, it broadens the world and deepens the characters. I was especially intrigued by the themes presented in this book; the juxtaposition of being a witch and the way real life issues can effect that in immense ways. Paul Cornell has created a truly fantastic series, and it is awesome to see strong, diverse women leading it.
midgardener's review against another edition
2.0
In comparison to the previous two installments, this one felt like an utter mess. The exploration of what the Borders are, how they manifest visually/physically, and what, exactly, Autumn's role is in it all felt slapped together with no regard to guiding the reader along. And while there are worthwhile efforts to bring in racial intricacies and the social effects of Brexit, the antagonistic old man who causes much of the conflict in that area never receives a proper comeuppance. More than once do people just let him rant his apparently horrifically racist words without repercussion. Sure, many such folks are clearly beyond educating, but that does NOT mean we should advocate simply letting their spout their hateful bile, as Cornell depicts here.
On another note that has nothing to do with the writing, I've been listening to this series as eaudiobooks. This entry switched narrators, and it was a choice for the worse. While the new narrator's voice is deeper by nature, the fact that everyone now sounds like an older woman probably could've been avoided. It made scenes of dialogue quite difficult to navigate. Hopefully the next entry will either receive another new narrator, or a return to the perfectly charming previous one.
I'll be reading the sequel and hoping for a simpler, more cohesive plot style, and not another social-justice-acid-trip gone wrong.
On another note that has nothing to do with the writing, I've been listening to this series as eaudiobooks. This entry switched narrators, and it was a choice for the worse. While the new narrator's voice is deeper by nature, the fact that everyone now sounds like an older woman probably could've been avoided. It made scenes of dialogue quite difficult to navigate. Hopefully the next entry will either receive another new narrator, or a return to the perfectly charming previous one.
I'll be reading the sequel and hoping for a simpler, more cohesive plot style, and not another social-justice-acid-trip gone wrong.
shereadstales's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75